brakes and wheel bearings

[Dmulder]

Okay.  I've grown tired and exhausted of my squealing brakes and cleaning brake dust off the wheels.  I am going to bite the bullet and install new brakes all the way around.  I have the discs in front and drums in back.  What do you recommend.  I want quiet, good stopping ability, and no to little brake dust.

Also, I think I have a wheel bearing going bad.  At least it sounds that way in the rear.  Do you have one you suggest?  How hard is that job?

Thanks

[BruceK]

On my Mini, I installed standard rear brake shoes from MiniSpares.  Figured they are fine since most of the braking is done by the front brakes anyway.  For the front, I have EBC Greenstuff pads and new rotors still to install.  I use the Greenstuff pads on my modern MINI and like them a lot, so I think they'll be fine on my classic Mini. 

Regarding wheel bearings, I  recently change them out, front and back, on my car.   I decided to go with the best quality, so I bought Timken bearings even though they cost more.   I also used Timken will bearing grease. 

Regarding how to do it, it's not that hard a job. But it does take a while - my recommendation is to follow the Haynes manual.

[MiniDave]

Second both of what Bruce says on the brakes - EBC greenstuff fronts and Mintex rears, while you're in there take a good look at the condition of the hydraulics. Peel a boot back on the rear wheel cylinders, if you see fluid replace them, don't try to rebuild them. New ones are $10 each from my local supplier Victoria British - same as a MG Midget/Sprite.

When pushing the front caliper pistons back in, watch the brake fluid going back into the MC, in fact the better way to do this is to open the bleed screw and let the fluid out that way, then put new fluid in and bleed it well.

The only tricky part about the rear bearings is whether you get bearings that are as the factory used....IOW, they had a spacer between them (built into the bearing races, not a separate part) and the proper set up was to just torque them to a specific tightness. Some bearings don't have that, so you have to set them up the old fashioned way.....tighten to set them in the races, back off and bring them up till there is no play in the bearing, then put the cotter pin in. Oh, and one head's up, the nut for the left side rear bearing is left hand thread, turn left to tighten! Also, do not mix up the races and bearings, they are a matched set.

Packing bearings in an art in itself, find a You Tube vid to learn how to do it right....here's a good one

The front bearings are a bit more involved only in that the axle nut is torqued to like 150ft lbs, no problem if you have an air powered impact wrench, a little tougher if you're trying to do it with a breaker bar. I remove the entire hub and do the work on the bench, that way I can get everything clean and it's easier to drive the old races out - new ones and seals in again. To do that you'll need the ball joint tool from Harbor Freight....I find theirs works well as its a little smaller and fits the joint better.

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-quarter-inch-forged-ball-joint-separator-99849.html

I don't know if the Haynes manual covers this but, never use new bearings with old races, you have to use a drift and drive the old races out and put new ones in.....I use a steel drift to remove them and a brass drift to put them in again...brass because it is softer than the races and won't damage them if you "miss"......

Lastly, to do the job right cleanliness is paramount, do not use compressed air to blow out the brake dust - it may have asbestos in it, rather use brake cleaner or solvent to wash the backing plate and components off, don't forget to lightly grease the little adjusters. If your drums have a ridge worn into them, you'll need to have them turned or replace them....not many places can turn these tiny 7" drums anymore. If you run into trouble with that I have a used set of drums with next to no wear on them I'll sell you cheaply, or just buy new ones when you buy the rest of your brake parts. If you can, it's best to tear it all down before you order parts so you can get everything at once. I like MiniSpares for Mini parts, their prices are really good and shipping is FAST. Take good pics of the rear shoes before you remove them, so you can see the orientation of the shoes and emergency brake bar, and how the springs are attached.

You still have my phone number if you run into problems?

[Dmulder]

Dave,
Yes, I do still have your phone number.  I have meetings in Indianapolis the end of this week through Sunday night.  Then next week I am finishing up the install of a new playground at the church and pouring the concrete floor for a new 14x14 shed with an additional 5x5 area in the back for a shower, stool, and sink at our cabin.  That is in addition to my regular job at church, my second job at UPS, and spending time with the family.  Needless to say I probably won't be starting the mini for 2 weeks.
You mentioned a parts supplier there in KC.  Do they have a web presence?  Could I order parts through them online or are they not as cheap?  Wondering if I could figure out prices and send my Brother in law in to pick them up and mail them to me flat rate through the USPS.
My wife always says I get excited when a project comes up on the mini.  I'm not sure she is 100% correct on that.  Do I get excited to do auto work?  Yes.  However, I hate spending the money to do it and it is usually never convenient timing.

[MiniDave]

http://www.victoriabritish.com/

I bought brake shoes and wheel cylinders from them, however the front brakes and wheel bearings and such on our cars are different from Sprites as they are rear drive cars.. I also buy engine parts from them as most are interchangeable, as long as you know what you're looking for. They don't sell Mini parts, per se.....

In your case, buying everything at once from MiniSpares will be more cost effective, I think.
If you're replacing the rear wheel bearings be sure to buy seals, they don't come with the rear bearing kits IIRC.

[gr8kornholio]

If you're replacing the rear wheel bearings be sure to buy seals, they don't come with the rear bearing kits IIRC.

Thanks for the tip, I'll look and add the seals to my cart.

[MiniDave]

Just double checked, the ones from MiniSpares do include the seal in the kit.

[Dmulder]

so, i finally got around to taking the rear wheel bearings off.  sure enough I had an inner that decided to explode on my last long trip home and that was what I was hearing.  I have been pricing wheel bearings.  Is there a huge difference in quality between National and Timken?  I know there is a huge price difference between the two, especially for races.  I found the National races for $4 each at rock auto and the Timken races were over $20.

[Dmulder]

one more question.  when looking at mini spares it appears that their wheel bearing kit comes with the new races and the rear seal.  Is this correct?

http://minispares.com/product/Classic/Drivetrain/Wheel%20bearings/GHK1805.aspx?0804&ReturnUrl=/search/classic/rear%20wheel%20bearings.aspx|Back%20to%20search

[MiniDave]

The one you linked is for the latest cars, but even tho they say from 96 on, my 89 had those O-rings....but yes, they are complete for one side - you need 2 kits to do both sides.

There is a lot of opinion about the cheap vs expensive bearings, I've done both and had equally good luck, so take that for what it's worth. Bruce bought the good Timkens when he did his as he felt the extra cost was worth it.

The difference to me is in the setup. The "factory" bearings have a shoulder and to tighten them to spec you simply torque them. The non-factory (read cheap) bearings work differently, they also have a shoulder but you do them the way we do front bearings on a rear drive car, after you pack them you tighten them up good, back the nut off, then tighten till you take out all the play, then use the cotter pin to lock them in place - do not torque them.

These are the ones I used.....

http://www.minispares.com/product/Classic/Drivetrain/Wheel%20bearings/GHK1548MS.aspx?0804&ReturnUrl=/search/classic/rear wheel bearing kit.aspx|Back to search

[Dmulder]

I tried ordering the brake pads and the wheel bearings from mini spares.  I received a message saying that they cannot ship the parts to me because they contain hazardous chemicals and I live outside of Europe.  Anybody else ever run into this problem?

[BruceK]

Within the last year I ordered stock brake shoes and EBC green stuff brake pads and MiniSpares shipped them to me no problem.     Did something change?    Plus, they voted for Brexit, why are they worrying  about EU law?   

[MPlayle]

Could it be an automated thing with regard to ordering "bearings"?

I seem to recall something a while back about issues ordering any sort of "bearing" running into problems clearing customs.

[MiniDave]

I had no issue ordering bearings, did you order some liquids?

[Dmulder]

I'm thinking it has something to do with the wheel bearing kit.  However, this caused me to start shopping around and I can get just about the same price (not sure because of shipping charges) from minisport.  My question is this - is there a minisport USA instead of UK?  Do I have to pay the international shipping charges?

[Willie_B]

  My question is this - is there a minisport USA instead of UK?  Do I have to pay the international shipping charges?

YES. There are some items stocked over here.

https://usa.minisport.com/

[94touring]

Most likely an error on their end. I had the same thing happen years ago. Shoot them an email and they can resolve the problem.

[MiniDave]

MiniSport (Mike Guido) does stock some stuff in Fla, but not much....mostly consumables like filters, brake pads and such. I doubt he'd have bearing kits but it's worth a phone call to him to ask......321-890-9888

[MPlayle]

I second Dave's suggestion of calling Mike Guido before attempting to order online.  He may have it already here.

That said, follow Dan's advice first as you've already attempted to order from Mini Spares.  Then if that does not pan out, try calling Mike.